Workforce, Taxes, Tort Reform Headline State Chamber Agenda
OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 23, 2025) – The State Chamber of Oklahoma has issued its annual agenda for the upcoming 60th Oklahoma Legislature, putting forth a powerful vision to transform Oklahoma into one of the most competitive states for business to prosper in the nation.
“We’ve crafted an exceptional agenda this year as part of our ongoing mission to make Oklahoma the best place in the nation to build and run a business,” said Chad Warmington, president and CEO of The State Chamber. “That’s the core of our purpose at The State Chamber – to position Oklahoma as the premier state for business, and this agenda is a crucial step toward achieving that goal.”
At the core of this mission will be The State Chamber’s continuous push to build the workforce of tomorrow. Oklahoma needs to have a well-trained, capable workforce to retain and attract the best companies looking to expand and grow their operations.
“I think for the foreseeable future, finding an adequate and trained workforce is going to be one of the most important challenges that we’re all going to face. The business community needs to not wait and hope that these people will show up, but needs to be part of the solution,” said Dana Weber, Chair of The State Chamber Board and President and CEO of Webco Industries.
The Chamber has a four-pronged approach to workforce in 2025, including championing greater investment in the Oklahoma Workforce Commission, which it helped create in 2023; eliminating barriers and liability to enable businesses to provide experimental work-based learning (apprenticeships/internships) to Oklahoma students; changing the state’s A-F Report Card to improve career-readiness education for K-12 students and schools; and creating a tax incentive for employers who support their workers’ childcare needs, whether by providing on-site childcare, reserving space at local childcare centers or offering employees financial assistance for out-of-pocket childcare expenses.
Legal reform will also be a primary focus for The State Chamber. Oklahomans deserve transparency in the judicial system in order to prevent unethical legal maneuvering and exploitation, thus the business community will advocate for stronger transparency requirements to prevent third parties from abusing the process. The business community will also seek out protection for businesses and their contractors from undue liability and government intrusion into private contracts.
Finally, The State Chamber will continue its fight on key tax reforms that will make Oklahoma’s code amongst the most competitive in the country for businesses and individuals. The priorities for the Chamber this year include simplification of individual income tax brackets making Oklahoma more competitive, as well as modernizing the corporate income tax by eliminating outdated procedures used to determine a business’ overall tax liability.
Media Contact
Brent Skarky – 405-818-1939
Brent@okstatechamber.com
